The Blessed Mother Crowned as “Mother and Queen of the Families of Villa Alemana”

Monina CrivelliJul 19, 2015

Chile, by Antonio Barschiesi Ferrari •

On October 18, 2012, the Schoenstatt Family of Villa Aleman enthroned the picture of the Blessed Mother in a wayside shrine of the La Asunción Peña Blanca Parish located in the eastern sector of the commune. During these two years the Schoenstatters have integrated themselves into the life of the church with strength and joy. They have participated in the Parish Council, are in charge of some of the Holy Masses, collaborate in catechesis, health pastoral, workshops for parents, couples pastoral and a long list of other services. It is everyone’s desire to make apostolic zeal, the third grace of the shrine, to serve, to say to the Lord, through the Blessed Mother, “What do you want of me? I am here Lord, to do your will.”

In this way, the Schoenstatt family has experienced years of joy, satisfaction and the grace of inner transformation. There is a greater openness and awareness of apostolic zeal and missionary commitment. The love that has been generated toward the pastor and the community, as well as the welcome of the faithful, has created a propitious ground for the mission.

Crowning of the Blessed Mother

The best gift arrived at the mission within the context of the large jubilee celebration of Schoenstatt’s one hundred years. The pastor expressed his desire to celebrate the historic event with a Mass and crowning of the Blessed Mother. Given the reality of the crisis that the family of the modern world is experiencing, and of which the community is not exempt, the Blessed Mother was crowned as “Queen and Mother of the Families of Villa Alemana”.

The Schoenstatt Family gathered at the parish along with a group of Madrugadores [Daybreakers] at 7:00 A.M. Attendees prayed the Rosary of Dawn as they proceeded through the streets of the nearby area. Upon returning to the Parish, Fr. Marcel Esctorín welcomed them with a beautiful Eucharistic celebration in which approximately one hundred twenty people participated. After the Holy Mass everyone sang in procession to the Wayside Shrine to conclude the celebration with the crowning of the Blessed Mother as Mother and Queen. The crown was made by a member of the Schoenstatt family and the picture of the Blessed Mother was painted by a Schoenstatt artist of the community. The response of the people was overwhelming as many inquired how they might be included more fully in the Schoenstatt family.

Apostolic commitments in 2015

During the year of 2015, the Family has grown. Approximately fifteen couples have joined the Family Work which happily continues to persevere. Two concrete examples of their participation in the life of the church are their contributions in the planning for this recent celebration and the upcoming 500th birthday of our patron saint, Philip Neri.

We are grateful to the pastor for the welcome he has given to the Schoenstatt Family. The Family reiterates its commitment to serve the Church and to make our Founder’s desire a reality.

About schoenstatt.org

Our mission is to serve the life of the International Schoenstatt family and the Church by promoting bonds of solidarity - covenant culture - and offering this service as a testimony - culture of encounter.

In all our actions, we daily hear the echoes of the words given to us by Pope Francis during the audience on 25 October 2014, "a culture of encounter is a covenant culture that creates solidarity."

About Schoenstatt

Schoenstatt is an ecclesial Movement, where everyone, each according to his individual vocation and united in covenant, serves the Church and its mission and the world God has entrusted to us.

The core of Schoenstatt's foundation is the covenant of love with Mary, the Mother of God.

This covenant of love generates culture and covenant culture is the unique expression of our way of life and work, our attachment to God, to people, to nature and culture, to the Church and the world, which always departs from the covenant of love.

Schoenstatt's commitment to this covenant culture inspires it to go out from the shrines to the existential peripheries to "sanctuarize" the world, as Pope Francis says.